Friday, April 30, 2010

Regardless of your reason for undergoing weight training, it cannot be denied that food would play a significant role in your performance. Choosing the right foods is crucial if you want to improve the latter while keeping your health in check all the time. Here are the foods that you should never miss out on:

Dairy products that are low in fatLike red meats, opting for low-fat dairy products is essential for keeping your cholesterol level from spiking, which means greater susceptibility to cardiovascular diseases.

Lean meatsAlthough white meats like chicken and turkey are more preferable than red meats, they have less iron content. Nevertheless, both these meats are loaded with protein, which you need to ensure the success of your weight training course. At best, when purchasing meats, opt for cuts with as little fat as possible. In cooking them, trim off fat from red meats and take out the skin from poultry meats.

*If you can, skip eating processed meats altogether. Research studies have identified eating processed meats as one of the causes of having an increased risk of contracting colorectal cancer.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Do weight training to develop your muscles.Bulking up by adding more muscles is tantamount to raising your body's fat burning capacity while at rest. But it does not stop here. Consequentially, having more muscles does not only work to raise your RMR (resting metabolic rate), but it also increases your AMR (active metabolic rate). Thus, you get the benefits of continuous fat-burning whether your body is active or at rest.

Opt for heavier weights. With this, try reaching the hypertrophy range—range that allows for better muscle development. To do this, lift the heftiest weight you can manage before fatigue sets in given a low to medium scale of eight up to 12 RM (repetition maximum).

Try doing a high-intensity cardio workout.Even when done only once in a while, doing high intensity workouts increases your metabolism, hence, affording your body a heightened fat-burning capacity post-period. But as effective as these are, be forewarned: do not overdo them. Since weight loss and fat-burning are intended to be long-term goals, doing them often or every day could lead to physical burnout.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

The initial confusion that comes with starting weight training always leaves beginners in danger of suffering from physical injuries. Given that we've already selected a particular routine that best suits our goals, we must consider certain precautionary measures like the ones stipulated below:

We should always start with a good warm up.Warming our muscles by doing a 5-10 minute warm up with any aerobic activity intended for it preps our muscles for the harder work ahead. Since cold muscles are more prone to getting injured, warming them up greatly decreases our risk.

We must do each exercise in the right form. Being particular about performing each routine properly is an exercise in effectivity and safety at the same time. Whenever we're in proper form as we do each exercise, we're assured of having a little chance of encountering injury.

We must breathe properly while exercising.Holding our breaths, whether unconsciously or otherwise, risks raising our blood pressure. Dangerous as this is, most of us have the tendency to do this every time we lift weights. To prevent this, we must practice inhaling as we lift and exhale as soon as we have raised it to our desired level.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

You're aware that you're lifting weights on a regular basis. But with each session, have you ever been nagged by that all-too-annoying question of whether you're lifting enough weight or not? Unsurprisingly, you're not the only one with this problem. Many people are left in the dark when it comes to lifting weights. And more often than not, study has divulged that most of us don't lift enough of it to gain the maximum weight loss benefits. In fact, we hardly lift enough weight to encourage good muscle growth.

By now, you must already know the importance of losing fat in raising your metabolism. Without the former, it would be hard for your body to achieve the latter. Despite this, however, are you aware that muscle also plays an important role in helping our bodies lose fat? With10-20 calories burned for each pound of muscle, it stands to reason why doing strength training—lifting weights to develop more muscles—is a good, healthy way to achieve weight loss. Apart from this, strength training gives us these added benefits: increased metabolic rate, a leaner body, improved balance and stability, stronger bones and connective tissues, as well as improved self-confidence.